The ComputerCare Blog

Our latest Employee of the Month is Zhensheng Lei. He is a computer technician working with our onsite team since joining ComputerCare in February, 2015.

Zhensheng has proven to be an asset to the company. Whenever our customers need help at a remote location, he is always willing to help without hesitation. His eagerness and drive to provide exceptional customer service are vital in an industry like ours, where reputation is such a critical part of our business success.

In addition to being very productive, Zhensheng is always ready to learn about new products, and shows that he wants to do more for the company. His humility and work ethic make him a joy to work with, and we are glad to call him our colleague.

We asked Zhensheng to share a few more details about his work and life outside ComputerCare, and here’s some of what he had to say:

CC: What is the most challenging part of your job?Zhensheng: The most challenging part would be becoming familiar and efficient with newer models. While challenging, I do enjoy working on something I haven’t worked on before. It’s like a change of pace, new scenery.

CC: What is the most rewarding part of your job?Zhensheng: Knowing I am helping our customer get working computers so they can be productive and build trust between us and them.

CC: What are the best and worst gifts you’ve ever given and received?Zhensheng: The best gift I have ever received, is from my wife, with our first baby on the way! The worst gift I ever received was bad food at a restaurant.

CC: Tell us one thing about yourself that people might not know.
I used to be a volunteer firefighter.

Congratulations, Zhensheng. Welcome to the Employee of the Month club!

ComputerCare is growing! We’re always on the lookout for talented technicians and customer service representatives. If you’re interested in joining our team, connect with us via email: HR@ComputerCare.net

Hi. My name is Mark Chisholm. I work in public relations, and happen to be part of the team that gets to support ComputerCare. This blog post is a little bit different because I wanted to share my first-hand experience of having my laptop’s battery replaced.

I have a MacBook Air. It’s my primary work laptop, and I find it light and really easy to use. It’s a five-year-old mid-2012 model, and (thanks to the case I keep it in) it still looks and works very well. I don’t do anything too taxing on my Air; in fact, I primarily use just six or seven applications, like Outlook for email, Word, Excel and PowerPoint for documents, Google Chrome as my web browser, Slack for internal messaging and Spotify for music. I occasionally joke with my boss that I’d like to upgrade to a newer machine, but all in all this has been an incredibly reliable laptop that more than meets my needs.

Old battery: Only 2 hours on a full charge

Like many people, I generally have my laptop’s AC plugged in when I’m at the office, so battery life is never an issue. But at home, where I also frequently use my computer, I noticed a sudden drop in battery life over the past couple of months. It wasn’t terrible, but it was enough that I’d try to extend it by turning off Slack and lowering screen brightness. Even then I was only getting a couple of hours out of it without the power cord.

When I saw a ‘service battery’ message pop up, I was naturally a bit more concerned, so I tried resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) to see if that would help. I’d recommend trying that first if you’re having similar battery problems (link to Apple Support’s SMC reset instructions here), but it didn’t work for me, so I knew it was likely to be a battery hardware issue.

The good folks at ComputerCare in Seattle kindly ran some diagnostics on my laptop and quickly identified the battery problem, which would unfortunately require a replacement. All I needed to provide ComputerCare was the model number and serial number of the laptop, and they ordered the appropriate replacement battery. Keep in mind that these are 100 percent genuine Apple parts, so ComputerCare sources them directly from Apple.

Email confirmation: My replacement battery was on the way.

I could have left my laptop there, but I hadn’t done a back-up of the data, so I decided to take it with me and wait a few days while the replacement battery was being shipped. When the day arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a phone call from ComputerCare’s Seattle team, confirming that my battery was in stock and they were ready to repair it as soon as I could drop it off. I proceeded to clean up my files and back everything up to iCloud as well as to a large capacity USB thumb drive. The back-up process took longer than I’d expected, but it was still less than an hour, total, and I could keep working while it did that in the background.

When I arrived at ComputerCare’s Seattle office (on 2nd Ave in Belltown), I filled out some simple paperwork and fully expected to leave my laptop for a few days. To my surprise, I was told that it would only take 30 minutes if I was willing to wait. So, after a quick walk down to Drip City Coffee for a drink, I was back to pick up my laptop. I signed some more paperwork and paid for the repairs, and it was done. Did I mention how quick and painless that was?

New battery: Almost 8 hours on a full charge

Needless to say, I’m a very happy camper right now. My battery can last almost an entire work day without being plugged in, and I don’t have to worry about dimming the screen or turning off any apps. And even though I had prepared a spare laptop, I ended up not needing to use one (but I’d still recommend making a back-up of your data, just in case).

Ultimately, I’m really glad that I’ll be able to get at least another year or two out of this laptop. The whole repair process was quick, painless, and cost-effective. That’s music to my (and my boss’) ears.

Finally, a big shout out to the team at ComputerCare in Seattle. Everyone was courteous, helpful, professional, knowledgeable and fast.

If you need a replacement battery, or any other hardware related service, fill out a service ticket here.

Summer is definitely here, and it’s time to introduce you all to our Employee of the Month for July, Kshitiz Joshi, more commonly known by our team as Joshi.

Joshi joined ComputerCare in February 2015, and is one of the company’s computer technicians, based at our headquarters in Santa Clara. All of our technicians are experts when it comes to getting important devices up and running again, but Joshi stands out from the crowd for his positive attitude and reliability. In his two years at ComputerCare he has adapted to new tasks quickly and has always been willing and ready to help out whenever and wherever needed. This extends to our new hires, who quickly learn that they can turn to Joshi for help or advice.

In addition to his role diagnosing and fixing issues with Apple and Lenovo computers, Joshi enjoys working with people. “I really value the sense of camaraderie that exists here at ComputerCare,” he said. “I’m motivated by working with other people, and learning their perspectives on how to get things done. That interaction provides me with new learning opportunities that promote workplace synergy. Honestly, I learn something new every day, and think that my colleagues are hilarious.”

We asked Joshi to share a few details about his life outside work, and here’s some of what he had to say:

CC: Are you a Mac guy or a PC guy away from work?
Joshi: I prefer using Macs because of the integration between the hardware and software. I like the build quality and performance, too. Having said that, when it comes to phones, I’ve been using Android for more than six years.

CC: What’s your favorite TV show?
Joshi: Stanger Things!

CC: What’s the best gift you’ve ever given someone?
Joshi: I surprised my sister once with an Apple laptop and an iPad. She was very surprised and happy.

Congratulations, Joshi. Welcome to the Employee of the Month club!

ComputerCare is growing! We’re always on the lookout for talented technicians and customer service representatives. If you’re interested in joining our team, connect with us via email: HR@ComputerCare.net

ComputerCare is expanding! We’re proud to announce the opening of a brand-new repair center in the heart of downtown Seattle. With views of the iconic Space Needle and just a stone’s throw from the rapidly growing South Lake Union area, ComputerCare’s Belltown location is the only authorized Apple repair center in the entire downtown area.

Home to well-known companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Expedia, Zillow and a host of highly respected biotech and research organizations, the greater Seattle area is experiencing unprecedented growth and expansion. What it lacked, however, was a world-class technology repair provider catering to the needs of consumers and businesses downtown. Located at 2827 2nd Avenue, the new facility offers ComputerCare’s full range of repair and service offerings for Apple, Lenovo, HP and Toshiba products. For business clients, this includes free pick-up and delivery.

New authorized Apple repair center in Downtown Seattle

Commenting on the new location, ComputerCare President, Georgia Rittenberg said, “Establishing a base in Seattle makes a lot of sense for ComputerCare. It allows us to bring our award-winning repair services closer to existing customers in the Seattle region, while opening new opportunities for future expansion in the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle area is a booming technology center, and yet suffers from a real shortage of quality computer and phone repair options. We’re very excited to offer our exceptional repair services and personal attention to businesses and consumers throughout the Seattle metropolitan area.”

If you live or work in the Seattle area, and are having problems with your laptop or mobile device, feel free to give us a call or drop by our office for a consultation. Our friendly team is there to help.

Khuong is a Computer Technician handling various managed services at one of ComputerCare’s customer sites. He has been with ComputerCare since September 2013.

Our company boasts many top-notch technicians and repair experts, but even among this crowd Khuong is known as a “repair machine.” With productivity landing in the top three every month, Khuong has become an invaluable member of our team, often helping out by transporting parts for urgent orders – all while maintaining his own work effortlessly.

In his spare time, Khuong loves to hang out with his kids, watching and playing soccer, and going fishing. He loves Vietnamese Pho noodles and other Asian food, but whenever he dines out he also likes to try different American and Mexican restaurants.

Congratulations, Khuong. Welcome to the Employee of the Month club!

ComputerCare is growing! We’re always on the lookout for talented technicians and customer service representatives. If you’re interested in joining our team, connect with us via email: HR@ComputerCare.net

This month we have the pleasure of introducing our latest Employee of the Month, Van Huynh.

Van works in our purchasing operations at ComputerCare’s headquarters in Santa Clara, California, where she manages to keep our order queue under control. In addition to her role in purchasing and providing support for her team, Van has a lot of experience helping in other areas such as ordering parts, helping to cover our backlog list and emailing escalations whenever needed. In addition, Van steps in from time to time to deal directly with an OEM on special projects. Van is a great example to our other employees, and has shown herself to be extremely competent and responsible with a positive work ethic. No task is too big or too small for her!

Van began working at ComputerCare in July of 2015. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her puppy, traveling, going on food adventures, binge watching TV shows like Criminal Minds, How to Get Away with Murder and MasterChef Junior. Living in California, there’s no shortage of amazing Asian food everywhere you turn, and some of Van’s favorites include Japanese restaurants that serve sushi and yakitori. In fact, if you’re ever in the Santa Clara area, Van recommends a sushi restaurant called Tomi Sushi.

Congratulations, Van. Welcome to the Employee of the Month club!

ComputerCare is growing! We’re always on the lookout for talented technicians and customer service representatives. If you’re interested in joining our team, connect with us via email: HR@ComputerCare.net

ComputerCare has just been named winner of a Bronze Stevie® Award in the Customer Service category of the 15th Annual American Business Awards.

This year’s American Business Awards attracted more than 3,600 submissions from organizations of all sizes, and from virtually every industry vertical. The awards cover a wide range of categories, including Startup of the Year, Executive of the Year, Best New Product or Service of the Year, and more. ComputerCare was nominated in the Customer Service Team of the Year category.

“I’m so proud of our customer service team and the recognition they will get through this award,” said Georgia Rittenberg, President of ComputerCare. “Our reputation, success and growth are all built on the work these people do each and every day. My heartfelt congratulations to the team.”

Here is an excerpt from our winning submission:

In 2016, the achievements of the customer service team were critical in securing several industry accolades, including Apple’s coveted Premium Service Provider status. This designation is only given to a handful of Apple’s Authorized Service Providers in recognition of their extraordinary commitment to technical excellence and superior customer service. As a Premium Service Provider, ComputerCare’s customer service team needed to meet very high standard for overall satisfaction, repair time, customer interactions and wait time, demonstrating exceptional repair support and customer experience.

In addition to Apple, the customer service team also strengthened its relationship with Lenovo in 2016. ComputerCare was already a recognized Authorized Service Provider for Lenovo’s business accounts, and due to the success and positive feedback given to Lenovo from these corporate clients, ComputerCare earned Lenovo’s Premier Authorized Service Provider status. This gave ComputerCare the ability to carry out warranty and non-warranty service and repair on Lenovo’s entire range of business and consumer devices, including ThinkPad™ laptops and tablets, Miix Windows® tablets, Chromebook laptops and all IdeaPad™, ThinkStation and WorkStation series computers. As a Premium Authorized Service Provider, ComputerCare also has access to information about each device’s warranty status, enabling faster repairs and turnaround times for customers.

Most importantly, ComputerCare’s customer service team understands how much people rely on their devices for work and play. They recognize the frustration that users feel when these devices break down, when they’re facing possibly expensive repairs, or when they’re at risk of losing valuable data. It’s at these times that ComputerCare’s customer service team shows their true value, answering any questions that customers have and doing their utmost to get these devices up and running as quickly as possible. They’re really that good!

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2017 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

At ComputerCare, we take our work seriously. That’s why, when it comes to our staff, we choose only the best of the best. This month, it’s our privilege to recognize the talent and hard work of David Hickey, our latest Employee of the Month.

David joined ComputerCare in 2016, and works in our Dublin, Ireland offices as a Technical Services Administrator. During that time, he has been very proactive in contributing ideas that have led directly to process improvements that have benefited customers and the company. For example, David recently had an idea to cut repair turn-around times for customers, and he was able to achieve this goal by streamlining the way repair reports are managed. David has also shown a great ability to stay organized by making to-do lists for absolutely everything. He is without-a-doubt a great asset to our team in Ireland.

“I am a keen fan of lateral thinking and protocol ergonomics, so working with ComputerCare has given me the opportunity to improve the application of these things in a supportive and progressive work environment,” said David about his job as Technical Service Administrator.

When he’s not at ComputerCare, David can probably be found doing something related to music. In addition to being an accomplished musician, David writes for a popular Irish music magazine in his spare time, in order to stay in touch with the local music scene.

“Outside of work I am an avid music fan. I sing, play guitar, drums and a small bit of piano. In the past few years, I have had some records released, toured the country and was part of setting up a now popular Irish independent record company in my home city of Galway.”

David has also been working on some fiction writing, and expects to have a few of his pieces published in the coming months.

Aside from music and writing, he’s a notorious fan of good pizza, rugby, the Irish sport of hurling, and soccer. And of course, David loves an auld pint of Guinness.

Congratulations, David. We’re proud to name you our Employee of the Month. ComputerCare is growing! We’re always on the lookout for talented technicians and customer service representatives. If you’re interested in joining our team, connect with us via email: HR@ComputerCare.net

As reported in several outlets last week, T-Mobile has just announced the addition of AppleCare to its existing Premium Device Protection and JUMP! upgrade plans, at no additional cost.

This means that any T-Mobile customers who already pay $12 per month for JUMP! or the carrier’s Premium Device Protection plan, can get AppleCare+ for their iPhone or iPad. If you’re a T-Mobile iPhone or iPad customer with one of these plans, you can now have your device repaired under the AppleCare+ program by ComputerCare. If you have a cracked iPhone screen, you may also be eligible for ComputerCare’s same-day iPhone repair service in the Bay Area.

We’re proud to announce that ComputerCare has been awarded Apple’s Premium Service Provider status for the second consecutive year. Having been an authorized service provider for Apple since 2008, ComputerCare today repairs the company’s full range of iPhones, MacBooks, iPads and more for a growing base of consumer and business clients.

Upon receiving the coveted ‘PSP’ status, ComputerCare’s president, Georgia Rittenberg, said, “There are many different criteria that a service provider must meet in order to earn Apple’s Premium Service Provider status. It requires outstanding performance from both the technical, and customer service teams. I’m so proud that the hard work and attention to detail we put into every single repair is being recognized and appreciated by our customers. We are thrilled and honored to once again be recognized by Apple for our continued commitment to technical support and customer care.”

Anyone who follows ComputerCare news may remember that back in 2016 we successfully launched a same-day iPhone display repair service in the Bay Area that now repairs hundreds of iPhones every month. In addition, a growing proportion of our business is being driven by an Apple Support app that allows consumers to make a repair appointment directly with ComputerCare or other Authorized Service Providers instead of waiting for help at a Genius Bar. Being the only Premium Service Provider in the Santa Clara area (and one of only 10 PSPs in California), ComputerCare appears at the top of that list.

If you’re experiencing any problems with your iPhone or other Apple products, we’d love to help. You can make an appointment with us directly by going to computercare.net and clicking on “Open a Ticket” at the top of the page.